Combined filter and refrigerator.



No. 669,|27. Patenled Mar. 5, |901.

A. C. SPITZNAGEL.

COMBINED VFILTER AND REFRIGEBATOR.

(Application led Sept. 1l, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

ALFRED c. sPITzNAenL, or GALENA, KANSAS.

hCOIVIBINED FILTER AND REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,127, dated March 5,1901.

Application filed September 11,1900. Serial No. 29.724. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it muy concern,.-

Beit known that I, ALFRED C. SPITZNAGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Galena, in the county of Cherokee and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Oombined Filter and Refrigerator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined filter and refrigerator designedfor use as a water cooler in which the water is thoroughly filtered andalso as a refrigerator for the storage and preservation of foodarticles.

To this end the invention contemplates an improved structure, preferablyin the form of a water-cooler, embodying means for completely isolatingthe filtered water from the chamber or compartment containing the foodarticles, so that the filtered water will be kept free from germcontamination and also free from taint.

A further object is to provide a novel disposition and arrangement ofparts, whereby the ice may be used most effectively not only torefrigerate the food articles, butalso cool both the filtered andunfiltered water.

A further object is to so construct and arrange the parts that the samemay be readily removed for cleaning or repair.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readilyappear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the sameconsists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated,and claimed.

While the invention is necessarily susceptible to some modificationwithout departing from the spirit or scope thereof, still the preferredembodiment of the improvements is shown in the accompanying drawings, inWhich- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a combined water-filterand refrigerator constructed in accordance with the present invention.Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference designate correrespouding parts in bothfigures of the drawings.

In carrying ont the invention the apparatus is constructed, preferably,in the form of an ordinarywater-cooler, comprising an uprightcylindrical casing l, preferably constructed with a double wallconsisting of the inner and outer shells 2 and 3, respectively, thespace between which is filled with charcoal, sawdust, or equivalentnon-conductive packing 4, which serves to better protect the apparatusfrom exterior temperature inuences. The said casing is preferablyconstructed with a widened base portion 5, which is also preferably of adouble-wall formation, and within the interior of the casing arearranged a plurality of horizontal or transverse partitions 6, '7, and8, respectively, the partition 6 being the uppermost one and arrangedabove the horizontal center of the casing l to provide within theopen-top portion thereof a water-reservoir 9, which when filled withwater is designed to be covered by the cover 10, which is removablyfitted in the open upper end of the casing and may be readily removedwhenever it is necessary to replenish the Water within the saidreservoir 9. The other horizontal or transverse partitions 7 and 8 arespaced a material distance below the said upper partition 6 to providein the interval between an enlarged refrigerating-compartment 1l, whichis formed at one side with a door-opening 12, adapted to be covered anduncovered by a door 13, preferably hinged to the easing-wall, as at 14,and secured in its closed position by a suitable fastening or latch l5,as plainly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. vIt will of course beunderstood that any suitable door may be fitted to the casing inconnection with the refrigerating-compartment 11 to permit of readyaccess to the latter for the purpose of storing food articles therein,as well as for replenishing the ice, it being understood that anydesired quantity of ice is designed to be placed within the maincompartment 1l upon the floor thereof, said floor preferably consistingof the partition 7, which is paired with the adjacent parallel partition8 to provide therebetween an intervening filtered water-chamber 16. Thefiltered-water chamber 16 extends transversely entirely across theinterior of the casing within the bottom portion thereof, and by reasonof the upper wall 7 of said chamber constituting the bottom of the mainrefrigerating-compartment 11 the said chamber is disposed directlybeneath the refrigeratingcoinpartment, and the filtered Water Within thechamber receives the direct cooling inuence of the ice stored Within thecompartment 11.

The lowermost rpartition 8, which is paired with the partition 7 toclose in the intervening ltered-water chamber 16, is spaced a suficientdistance above the main bottom of the 1 casing to provide a bottomdrain-chamber 17, Which is in communication Withthe mainrefrigerating-compartment 11 through -a draintube 18, extending acrossthe chamber 16 and f fitted at its ends in the partitions 7 and 8,respectively, and the drip, from `the refrigerating-compartment whichaccumulates within the chamber 17 may be drawn off from time to timethrough a draw-off cock 19, fitted to the base portion of the casing andarranged to communicate with the said drain-chamber 17. As for thefiltered Water which accu mulates Within the ltered-Water cham ber 16the same may be drawn off for use from time to time through the mediumof an ordinary faucet 20, fitted in the side of the casing and incommunication with the said filtered-Water chamber 16.

To provide for the circulation of Water from the top reservoir 9 intothe filtered-Water chamber 16,as Well as for the filtration of the Waterduring the circulation, the said reservoir 9 and chamber 16 areconnected by an open-ended fllter-iiue 21, which extends verticallythrough the main refrigerating-compartment 11, in proximity to the Wallthereof, and fitted at its upper and lower ends, respectively, in thepartitions 6 and 7, so as to communicate only with the reservoir 9 andthe iltered- Water chamber 16. The said open-ended filter-flue 21 is ofa sufficient size to removably receive therein an elongated filter-cage22. The said filtercage22 is preferably in the form of a tube, nearlyequaling the length of the lter-lne 2l, within which it is arranged, andprovided With an open upper end having an annular peripheralhanger-harige 23, adapted to engage the upper end of the due 21 where itconnects with the partition 6 to provide for suspending the said cage 22vertically Within the iiue 21. The tube constituting the fine-cage 22preferably tapers downwardly and is provided with a perforated conicallower end 24, through which the liltered Water is permitted to escapeafter passing through the strata of packing or filtering material 25,which .is

filled into the cage or tube 22, substantially the entire Vlengththereof.

A strainer or strainer-plate 26 is removably fitted Within the openupper end portion of the filter cage or tube 22 on top of the ilteringmaterial 25 therein to secure an initial straining of the Water beforeit enters into the strata of packing or filtering material. By removingthe vtop cover 10 of the casing the filter-cage 22 may be removed andreplaced whenever necessary for cleaning or rechargi ng with thefiltering material.

It Willbe observed that the relation of the dierent parts of theapparatus causes the water at all points within the casing or cooler tobe exposed to the cooling iniiuences of the ice, while at the same timethe said Water is completely isolated from the mainrefrigerating-compartment, and therefore cannot be contaminated ortainted by odors therefrom.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, use, and manyadvantages of the herein described combined waterfilter and refrigeratorwill be readily understood without further description, and I will haveit understood that various changes in the form, proportion,'and minordetails of construction may be resorted to Without departing from theprinciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the 'invention,what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-4 ing Within a single casing aWater-reservoir,

and a filtered-Water chamber spaced apart and .forming Aan interveningrefrigeratingcompartment between -thei ropposite adjacent Walls, afilter-fiue-extending through the refrigerating-compartment andcommunicating at opposite ends with the Wateareservoir andfiltered-Water chamber, said filter-liuc being located at one side ofthe refrigerating-comzpartment, but inclosed on all sides thereby, abottom drain-chamber located beneath the ltered-Water chamber, and adrain-tube extending from the refrigerating-compartment through thefiltered-water chamber to the drain-chamber, substantially as set'for-th.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto a'fiixedmy signaturein the vpresence of two witnesses.

' ALFRED C. SPITZNAGEL. Witnesses:

W. B. Hoon, T. T. BURR.

IOO

